<h2>Name</h2>
<p>
The Surah takes its name from verse 25 in which the word Al-Qasas
occurs. Lexically, <em>qasas</em> means to relate events in their proper
sequence. Thus, from the view- point of the meaning too, this word can
be a suitable title for this Surah, for in it the detailed story of the
Prophet Moses has been related.
</p>
<h2>Period of Revelation</h2>
<p>
As already mentioned in the introduction to Surah An Naml, according to
Ibn Abbas and Jabir bin Zaid, Surahs Ash-Shu`araa', An-Naml and Al-
Qasas were sent down one after the other. The language, the style and
the theme also show that the period of the revelation of these three
Surahs is nearly the same. Another reason for their lose resemblance is
that the different parts of the Prophet Moses story as mentioned in
these surahs together make up a complete story. In Surah Ash-Shu`araa',
excusing himself for not accepting the office of Prophethood the
Prophet Moses submits, "The people of Pharaoh have the charge of a
crime against me; therefore, I fear that they will put me to death."
Then, when lie goes before Pharaoh, the latter says, "Did we not bring
you up as a child in our house? You lived quite a few years of your
life among us, and then you did what you did." Nothing more of this
has been mentioned there, but in this Surah the other details have been
supplied. Similarly, in Surah An-Naml the story starts abruptly from the
time when the Prophet Moses was journeying with his family and
suddenly saw a fire at a distance. In that Surah nothing has been said
about the nature of his journey, or the place he was coming from, or
his destination, but this Surah supplies all the necessary details.
Thus, the three Surahs read together complete the story of the Prophet
Moses (Allah's peace be upon him).
</p>
<h2>Theme and Topics</h2>
The main theme is to remove the doubts and objections that were being
raised against the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom
be Allah's peace and blessings) and to invalidate the excuses which
were being offered for not believing in him. 
</p>
<p>
For this purpose, first
the story of the Prophet Moses has been related, which, by analogy
with the period of revelation, impresses the following points in the
listeners mind automatically: 
</p>
<p>
First, Allah provides the means and
motives of whatever He wills to do, in imperceptible ways. Thus, Allah
so arranged things that the child through whom Pharaoh had to be
removed from power, was bred and brought up in his own house, and he
could not know whom he was fostering. Who can then fight God and
frustrate Him by his machinations. 
</p>
<p>
Secondly, Prophethood is not
granted to a person amid festivities by issuing a proclamation from
the earth and heavens. You wonder how Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's
peace) has been blessed with Prophethood unexpectedly, all of a sudden,
but Moses whom you yourselves acknowledge as a Prophet (v. 48) had
also become a Prophet unexpectedly, while on a journey, and nobody had
known what event had occurred in the desolation at the foot of Mt.
Sinai. Even Moses himself did not know a moment before what he was
going to be blessed with. He, in fact, had gone to bring a piece of
the fire but had returned with the gift of Prophethood. 
</p>
<p>
Thirdly, the
person from whom Allah wants to take some service comes out without
any army and armor and without an apparent helper or force at his
back, yet he puts to rout much stronger and better equipped opponents.
The contrast that existed between the strengths of Moses (peace be
upon him) and Pharaoh was much more prominent and glaring than that
which existed between Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the quraish;
yet the world knows who had come out victorious in the end and who had
been routed. 
</p>
<p>
Fourthly, you refer to Moses again and again and say,
"Why has Muhammad not been given the same which was given to Moses? -- i.
e. miracles of the staff, the shining hand, etc. -- as if to suggest
that you would readily believe only if you were shown the kind of the
miracles that were shown by Moses to Pharaoh. But do you know what
sort of response was made by those who were shown those miracles? They
had not believed even after seeing the miracles, and had only said,
"This is magic", for they were involved in stubbornness and hostility
to the Truth. The same malady afflicts you today. Will you believe
only when you are slowly the same kind of miracles?Then, do you know
what fate the disbelievers had met even after seeing the miracles?
They were annihilated by Allah. Do you now wish to meet the same doom
by asking for the miracles in your obstinacy? 
</p>
<p>
These were the things
which were automatically impressed in the mind of every listener who
heard this story in the pagan environment of Makkah, for a similar
conflict was going on at that time between the Holy Prophet and
disbelievers of Makkah as had already taken place between the Prophet
Moses and Pharaoh before. This was the background against which the
story of the Prophet Moses was narrated so that a perfect analogy was
established automatically in every detail between the conditions
prevailing then in Makkah and those existing in the time of the
Prophet Moses. Then, from verse 43 onward the discourse turns to the
real theme. 
</p>
<p>
In the first place, the narration of a two thousand year
old historical event by the Holy Prophet with such accuracy and detail,
is presented as a proof of his Prophethood although he was un-lettered
and the people of his city and clan knew full well that he had no
access to any source of such information as they could point out. 
</p>
<p.
Then
his appointment as a Prophet is put forward as Allah's mercy to them,
for they were heedless and Allah had made this arrangement for their
guidance. Then their oft-repeated objection, "Why has not this Prophet
brought the miracles which Moses had brought?" has been answered. It
is said to them, "How can you be justified in demanding miracles from
this Prophet when you did not believe in Moses either, who, as you
yourselves acknowledge, had brought miracles from God?You can still
see the truth only if you do not serve your lusts and whims. But if
you remained afflicted with this malady, you would never see it even
though you were shown any kind of miracles." 
</p>
<p>
Then the disbelievers of
Makkah have been warned and put to shame for an event that occurred in
those very days. Some Christians had come to Makkah and embraced Islam
when they heard the Qur'an from the Holy Prophet. Instead of learning
any lesson from this the Makkans were so upset at this that their
leader, Abu Jahl, disgraced those people publicly. 
</p>
<p>
In conclusion, the
excuse that the disbelievers put forward for not believing in the Holy
Prophet has been dealt with. What they feared was this:"If we give up
the polytheistic creed of the Arabs and accept the doctrine of
<em>Tauhid</em> instead, this will put an end to our supremacy in the religious,
political and economic fields, which, in turn, will destroy our
position of the most influential tribe of Arabia and we shall be left
with no refuge anywhere in the land." As this was the real motive of
the chiefs of the Quraish for their antagonism towards the Truth, and
their doubts and objections were only the pretenses, which they
invented to deceive the common people, Allah has dealt with these
fully till the end of the Surah, considered each aspect of these in a
wise manner and offered the remedy for their basic ailment due to
which those people judged the Truth and falsehood only from the
viewpoint of their worldly interests.
</p>

